


Banana Hammock

by oh_imintrouble



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Explicit Sexual Content, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, M/M, No Spoilers, Past Sexual Abuse, Sexual Tension, Strangers to Lovers, Strippers & Strip Clubs, The Author Regrets Everything, a necessary tag, a serious fic with a crack title lol, author has not read the manga, bartender Eiji, first banana fish fic, god help me, i know next to nothing about strip clubs, my favorite trope, stripper Ash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2019-09-17 12:30:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16974633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oh_imintrouble/pseuds/oh_imintrouble
Summary: Eiji was lost. After his injury he couldn’t continue to pole vault, and if he couldn’t continue to pole vault, he was going to lose his scholarship, and if he lost his scholarship-Okay, he wasn't just lost. He was spiraling.First things first, he needed a job. And he needed to get one quickly.-------Eiji gets a job as a bartender at an underground club called Desiderata. There he meets the exotic dancer Ash Lynx, and- and okay, so maybe Ash was one of the most beautiful guys he’d ever seen in his entire life. It wasn't like he was going to do anything about it. He had no plans to get involved--until he was given an offer he couldn't really refuse.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write something for Banana Fish for... weeks. But I couldn't think of anything. Then my lovely friend suggested "stripper au" named after the first time my roommate tried to remember the name of the anime and fucked up in the best way possible lmao  
> I have some things planned right now so tags are subject to change, and I'll put more specific trigger warnings on chapters that include anything even remotely rough to get through

Eiji was lost. After his injury he couldn’t continue to pole vault, and if he couldn’t continue to pole vault, he was going to lose his scholarship, and if he lost his scholarship-

Okay, he wasn't just lost. He was spiraling.

First things first, he needed a job. And he needed to get one quickly.

He sat down with his laptop and hesitated, fingers just hovering over the keys. The only “job” he’d ever had before was babysitting his younger sister, and he never even got paid to do it! According to his mother his payment was having a roof over his head, and- well. Well he couldn’t really argue that.

He sighed, and rubbed his hands over his face, closing his eyes. Where did he even start? Where did most 20-year-olds work? He couldn’t work during the day when he had classes, and even weekends during the day were usually dedicated to helping Ibe with his photography gigs. That left overnights.

Bartending was always an option? A classmate of his worked for a club, and he’d overheard him talking about it before and he always seemed happy with his line of work?

Eiji pursed his lips, and opened up facebook, searching for Sing Soo-Ling’s page. He frowned when he realized he didn’t have his work listed, and glanced at the messenger. Would it be weird to ask him out of the blue like this? Only one way to find out.

**_Eiji Okumura:_ **

_Hi Sing! Very sorry if this is strange, I was just wondering if your work was hiring?_

**_Sing Soo-Ling:_ **

_Yeah actually, our full time bartender just quit. You want me to get you an interview?_

Well. That was… surprisingly easy.

**_Eiji Okumura:_ **

_Please!_

**_Sing Soo-Ling:_ **

_Dope. Be at Desiderata at 4am. Club closes then, tell the bouncer you’re there to see Yue._

Four in the morning?! Though, he supposed that was the point... He glanced at the clock on his laptop, and almost deflated when he saw it was only midnight. His spiraling usually took place far later in the night, but he was probably lucky he hadn’t this time. He had time to shower, get dressed, and brush up on popular drinks. How hard could being a bartender be, right?

 

* * *

 

 

Hours later he found himself on the edge of Hell’s Kitchen, feeling far less confident than he had before his beverage research. There were just… so many things. So many drinks and so many types of liquor and even more _brands_ of liquor how could he-

He found the club, and stood back from the door when a surplus of people filtered out. Eiji glanced at them as they passed, feeling grossly overdressed when he saw the sheer amount of booty shorts and mesh. He hoped there was a more modest uniform.

When there was a gap in the groups the bouncer looked in his direction, one brow raised to show ‘yes, I’m looking at you’ when Eiji pointed to himself. He took the opportunity to jump up onto the ledge, and gave a quick bow.

“Hello! My name is Eiji Okumura, I’m here to see Yue?”

The bouncer looked him up and down a moment, and Eiji fidgeted under his gaze. He seemed… infinitely larger than Eiji, both in height and in the wide expanse of his broad shoulders, and held the most intimidating aura he’d ever encountered. No wonder he was the bouncer--he certainly wouldn’t want to argue with him.

“This way,” he said, offering a smile that nearly knocked Eiji right off his rhythm.

Massive and intimidating, yet somehow still friendly. It almost made him more unnerving.

He held an arm out, gesturing him inside the club, and Eiji stepped in. The large man followed him back inside then sidestepped around him to take the lead down the hallway to a set of stairs. Without a word he started down the steps, and keyed in a code on a keypad beside the ornate door. When he pushed the door open, Eiji was, in a word, overwhelmed.

The first thing he saw was a large, circular stage in the center of the room with long poles connecting to the ceiling, and a straight runway of sorts that disappeared through a set of curtains, dividing the club in half. He hadn’t realized the club held performances? He wondered if he would get to see them. Aside from the large stage there were four smaller ones with only one pole per stage flanking the four corners of the room, and between the two to the right sat a bar that took up the entire wall. There were tables scattered about and booths tucked into the wall opposite the bar, divided by a doorway that went who knows where. The lights were all on and whatever music had been playing was cut, but he could imagine what the place looked like during normal business hours.

There were several people still gathered at the bar, standing in varying degrees of undress, chatting amongst themselves. Eiji caught Sing’s eye, and gave him a small wave before following the bouncer through the doors facing the bar. The hallway was painted a striking shade of red--or maybe that was just the red lights? As they made their way down the halls he looked at the black curtains that lined the walls with some curiosity, cocking his head slightly and trying to peak past any openings there may have been to no avail.

The man knocked three times on the door at the end of the hall, and waited a moment before opening it for Eiji.

“I’ll be right here,” he said to the man inside, before closing the door behind him.

Eiji looked at the man sitting at the desk, and was immediately stricken by how… pretty he was. Not exactly who he pictured owning a bar?

Remembering his manners he did a quick bow, before stepping forward and holding his hand out to shake. “Hello! I am Eiji Okumura, Sing’s classmate. You must be Yue?”

“Yut Lung,” he answered, taking his hand without standing and shaking it only once. “Have you ever worked at a club before, Eiji?”

“N-no, no I haven’t. Ah, but I’m a fast learner, and given the opportunity will not let you down!”

He looked him up and down just as the bouncer had, only he seemed to be doing so far more critically. “I won’t lie, I’m not sure you fit in here,” he said finally, setting his elbows on the desk and clasping his hands together, resting his chin on his fingers. “Would you consider yourself a _tough_ man, Okumura?”

Eiji puffed up, almost defensive, and frowned. “I was an athlete for many years, and have never been unable to adapt to what’s thrown at me.”

“Seemed easy to get under your skin there. Sure you would be able to hold your own?” Eiji nodded. “Do a spin for me? And take off that awful blazer.”

He wasn’t sure he was being serious at first, but when he simply quirked a brow at him he knew he had to be. Eiji slowly reached for the lapels, making sure a second time that he wasn’t joking before shrugging it off and setting it on a chair sitting behind him. Arms out he did a spin, brows furrowed all the while, before he was facing him once more and he set his hands on his hips.

“Well,” he started, giving a sigh. “We _are_ in need of a replacement. Can you tonight at 9? I’ll call Sing in and have him show you the ropes your first shift, then you’re on your own during the week. Shift goes 9-5, club closes at 4, that gives you an hour to clean the bar afterwards. If I think you can’t handle it, I’ll have Blanca there show you the door. Got it?”

Though he was unsure what he could’ve seen that would make him decide to hire him he visibly deflated in relief, then nodded. “Yes, of course! I won’t let you down, Yut Lung!”

“Great. I’m sure everyone is still here, so go introduce yourself to the rest of the staff. Blanca!”

The bouncer opened the door, and stood in the entryway with his arms crossed. “Yes?”

“Take Okumura to the others. Make sure they tell him how things work here at Desiderata.”

Blanca nodded, and stepped back so Eiji could leave the room, only speaking once they were out of earshot of the office. “Welcome. Have you ever worked at a strip club before?”

A strip club? But-

Oh.

_Oh._

_Oh no._

Well. That certainly explained the poles.

And the booty shorts and mesh.

He… he probably should have researched the club instead of drinks.

“Hello?”

“Ah!” He startled, looking up at Blanca with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. “S-sorry, um- n-no, No I haven’t.”

“Don’t worry. You get used to it quickly.”

Eiji simply nodded, his mind a flurry of overlapping thoughts as he approached the bar full of dancers. What kind of people went to strip clubs? What kind of people _worked_ at strip clubs? What if his classmates found out?

_What if his mother found out?_

He swallowed thickly, and shook his head, physically shaking the thoughts away just as he stopped. Sing looked at him almost suspiciously for a moment, arms crossed, then looked at Blanca. Whatever he saw he must have liked because he smiled then, giving Eiji a thumbs up.

“Part of the team now?”

“Y-yeah,” he said, putting on his best smile. He looked at the people remaining after hours, and couldn’t help but furrow his brows. They… weren’t exactly who he was expecting to work at a strip club.

There were three girls remaining, two in stools and one sitting on the bar. There was a brown woman with a long black wig, an Asian woman with her hair cut short, and the last was blonde, her hair tied up in a bun on top of her head, wearing a pair of black shorts and a black tank that matched the other two and a nametag still on her shirt that read “Amber.”

Wait, did- did dancers wear nametags?

Four other men aside from Sing and Blanca remained, two openly scrutinizing Eiji, one sitting with his back to him not giving him the time of day and another standing beside him, talking quietly and looking between Eiji and his companion. The former stood in shorts so short he was sure their asses were peaking out, one wore an open hoodie with them. The one that kept looking between him and his friend wore trackpants and a snapback that despite his shaved sides looked like it was concealing bright purple hair, and the one that kept his back turned was fully dressed in a pair of jeans and a hoodie, his hood pulled over his head.

So… a male strip club.

“H-hi, I’m Eiji Okumura,” he said, bowing his head to all those that were looking at him.

The man with the snapback took that as his invitation to stand, and throw an arm around his shoulders. “Alright Eiji,” he started, far more… open than his previous demeanor had suggested. “You know Sing and Blanca, our lovely waitresses are Amber, and that’s Makoto and Eden,” he said, pointing them out as he said their names. “Those two creeps are Alex and Bones, that grumpy ass is Ash, and I’m Shorter.”

Ash sighed, dropping his head down for a moment, before pushing himself away from the bar, the barstool turning him towards the others. “You’re gonna freak out the new guy if you don’t chill.” If Eiji was on edge before, seeing Ash’s face was just… icing on the cake.

“Someone had to do it--poor dude looked like he was gonna jump out of his skin with everyone staring him down like that. You’re not gonna freak, right?” He asked, looking down at him.

Oh no, he definitely was going to. There was just so much information being thrown at him, too many surprises, and- and okay, so maybe Ash was one of the most beautiful guys he’d ever seen and it was all just _too much._

But he didn’t say that. He smiled and shook his head, keeping himself composed aside from the light flush on his cheeks. “No, of course not.” Eiji looked back at the others, repeating their names in his head once before nodding again. “It’s nice to meet you all. I uh- I start tonight, so please take care of me while I learn how everything works.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eiji makes a fool out of himself, but learns he isn't the only one. What he thought was just going to be a temporary job gives him not only new friends but questions he's determined to find answers to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *kicks leg up* Hello I have a million plans for this constantly in my head and I needed something to distract myself from the debilitating pain from episode 23 SO HERE WE ARE I GUESS  
> I totally planned on uploading like. Once a week. But then I finished this and frankly I have no self control.

Eiji quickly learned his first week at the club, that working at Desiderata meant working in near constant chaos. He thought that maybe because he worked during the week things would be slow, because who had time to go to a strip club during the work week? Apparently hundreds of people.

There was never a long lull in orders, never a true moment of peace--except for his thirty minute break when one of the waitresses took over and he made himself scarce and disappeared to the dressing room. But even then he could still hear and _feel_ the intense bass from the floor. He thought he picked up on the work quickly enough though, and he rarely got any complaints so? He had to have been doing something right.

The only real issue he had was with the strange looks he received every night. Did he really look so out of place? He knew he looked young, but Sing also worked there and he was even younger. Then again it wasn’t really a look of confusion he kept seeing but… disappointment maybe? That couldn’t be it, could it? He knew he wasn’t the sexiest guy in the world, but was he really so off putting?

Not that it _really_ mattered. Eiji had decided the second that he found out it was a strip club instead of a normal bar that this job was only temporary. A placeholder until he could find something better that paid even somewhat nearly as well. He had one year left of school then he could get a boring office job like everyone else.

He was in his own mind pouring vodka into a vodka cranberry when out of the corner of his eye he noticed someone sit down directly in front of him. He glanced up and met a pair of green eyes, not really staring but almost… studying him?

“Did you need something, Ash?” He asked, raising his voice to be heard over the music. As well as learning the most common drinks--the sours, the moscows, the martinis--he made sure to learn the names of the other staff. Granted, remembering Ash’s name wasn’t that impossible considering-- well considering it was _Ash._

Ash sat at the bar fairly often between his sets, always covered in a pair of trackpants and a large hoodie with a beanie covering his blond hair, but never sat directly in front of him. Though the other dancers seemed to warm up to him almost immediately, Ash maintained his distance. It wasn’t an issue, of course, Eiji didn’t expect everyone to like him, but it _did_ hurt his ego a bit.

“Ash?” He repeated, louder this time in case he hadn’t heard him the first.

But he didn’t answer. He continued to study Eiji before turning his gaze towards a couple other men sitting at the bar. Eiji followed his gaze and flushed when he realized they were staring, and staring with that same unreadable look in their eyes that he kept getting. When Eiji looked at Ash again he looked irritated, his nose wrinkled in obvious disdain and a cold look in his eyes directed at the strangers.

“U-um- Ash?”

“Ignore the weird looks you're getting. They're not worth your time.” He turned to stand up only to have another, taller man push him back down onto the stool. The man was wearing a weird bowler hat and had a creepy mustache and Eiji didn't like any of what was happening.

He puffed up, and took the washcloth from the back pocket of his jeans, raising it to strike when the stranger looked at him and quickly raised his hands in defense.

“Woah woah woah, Eiji, it's me!” He said, quickly pulling the hat off to reveal a familiar purple mohawk.

Eiji simply gaped at him a moment, eyes wide and arm still raised over his head, before he shouted, “Shorter?! Why are you dressed like that?!”

“Why are you brandishing a rag like it's a weapon?!”

“I cannot _believe_ someone actually fell for that stupid disguise of yours,” Ash chimed in, looking absolutely disgusted save for the smile on his face.

The first smile he's seen Ash make… and it was because he looked like an idiot.

“Oh my god,” he said, visibly deflating onto the counter of the bar, and put his face in his hands. “Can one of you get Amber? I think I need to go on break.”

“On it,” Shorter said, putting the hat back on before disappearing into the crowd.

When Eiji finally managed to stand straight again he realized Ash was still there, and even better, _still smiling._ “Yeah yeah, laugh all you want.”

“No I'm glad you were here,” he said, his smile looking more and more like a smirk. “I don't know what I would've done without my knight in shining armor to protect me from evil with his dish rag.”

“How was I supposed to know it was Shorter?!”

“His mustache was literally peeling off.”

“No it-! ...Was it really?”

Ash laughed, loud and sincere, and pushed himself to his feet. “I'm just fucking with you. Thanks for lookin’ out,” he said, reaching across the bar to pat his shoulder twice before heading towards the dressing room.

Shorter returned with Amber in tow, sans his ridiculous disguise and instead sporting the beanie he’d just seen on Ash. “Come on break with me?”

Eiji pursed his lips, determined to show him that _yes,_ yes he was still upset with him.

“C’mon, please?” He asked, drawing out the vowels with his hands clapped together in front of him.

With a sigh he moved from around the bar to follow the much taller man as he weaved through the crowd with practiced ease. Shorter glanced over his shoulder to make sure he was still following, and when he noticed Eiji several steps behind reached back to grab the cuff of his sleeve. He made his way to the long hallway that led to the dressing room and the numerous “private dance” booths, and ducked into the dressing room.

The room itself contrasted the hallway and club itself so much it nearly gave Eiji whiplash the first time he saw it. It was well lit and well kept, with several lockers lining the wall with the door and one long vanity covering another. There were a couple large, plush couches facing each other with a coffee table separating them, and several drinks left abandoned on said table. It was where staff all went for their breaks--except for the smokers who usually went out the back door to the alley--but it was empty at the moment.

“So…” Eiji started, moving to sit on the arm of one sofa, “why am I here? And, actually, while we’re at it, why the disguise earlier?”

He simply shrugged, and dropped himself down onto the other sofa, draping one leg over the arm while his other foot sat on the floor. “Sometimes you want to move around the club without being interrupted.”

“Isn’t… the point of working someplace like this to make as much money as you can?”

“Eh, everyone has their reasons. Some people wanna be here, others don’t really have many other options.”

“Which one are you?” Eiji asked without really thinking. “Ah, s-sorry, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to-”

Of course if someone thought they had no choice but to work at a strip club it would be a sensitive subject. And he went and put Shorter on the spot without even really thinking about it!

He waved him off, and crossed one arm under his head. “Nah, it’s no big deal. Just not a lot of places that want to hire a high school dropout and pay enough to survive.”

Eiji simply hummed, and fiddled with his fingers a moment, unsure if he should ask the question poised on the tip of his tongue.

“You wanna know why I dropped out?” He asked, the corner of his lips curling up in a smirk when he turned his head to look at him. “I’m gonna be real with you, Eiji. It’s hard to get on my bad side. You literally threatened to beat me within an inch of my life-”

“ _I did not!_ ”

“-and I still dragged you on break with me so I could harass my new friend.”

“I cannot believe you- wait, I’m your friend?”

“Yeah, dude. Gotta stick together in this business, ya know? And seeing you so ready to defend one of us was really refreshing after the last guy.”

“The last guy?”

“Nah nah nah, first things first- high school dropout,” he said, pushing himself so he was sitting up, his elbows on his knees like he was about to get into the most intense storytelling of his life. “So there I was, just a 17-year-old baby, a year away from graduating. And they expelled me! Out of nowhere! It was homophobia at its finest!”

Eiji gasped, scandalized. He couldn’t imagine anyone getting away with that! If the same had happened to Eiji the perpetrator never would have survived his mother’s wrath. While she had been incredibly vocal at first about “not agreeing with his lifestyle,” she still made it clear she supported him. She’s since dropped her disagreement, and now that he was in college asked him if he was seeing anyone and when he would be bringing a nice boy home at least once during every skype call. He hoped Shorter had someone like that.

“Shorter you got expelled for smoking weed in the bathrooms and getting caught,” Ash pointed out, stepping passed Eiji to sit on the sofa opposite his friend. “This dumbass got caught, tried to swallow the joint to ‘get rid of the evidence,’ then started choking on it and spit it out onto the teacher’s shoes,” he explained, air quotes included, and completely ignored Shorter’s scandalized face.

“Betrayed! By my own best friend!”

Eiji looked between the two a moment, before narrowing his eyes at Shorter. “And I was so worried about you,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away from them. He was joking, of course--about being upset, not about being worried about him--but Shorter didn’t seem to realize that. He could feel his gaze on him, and when Eiji glanced in the mirror he could see a look of shock being directed at Ash.

“Oh my god. Is this guilt? Is this what guilt feels like? I feel like I just kicked a puppy, I’m a monster!”

Ash snorted, his straight face crumbling, and quickly covered his mouth. He shook his head, gathering himself, and nudged Eiji’s hip with his elbow. “I don’t think he’s that fragile, Shorter. But Eiji, please, keep that up, someone needs to put him in his place.”

Eiji jumped some when he was nudged, his cheeks flushing pink, but he grinned, glad that at least one of them realized he wasn’t being serious. “Yeah, okay. I’ll do that if you tell me what those looks I keep getting mean,” he said, sliding off the arm to sit next to him normally. Though Eiji thought they were getting on well, Ash tensed, that light in his eyes leaving and an obviously uneasy look took its place. “Oh, um, s-sorry, I-”

“What looks?” Shorter asked, brows furrowed. “Everyone here is cool.”

“Not staff, Shorter. And you _know_ what looks,” Ash said, all teasing gone from his voice.

“What? Wait- oh. Oh yeah, I get it,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair before scratching the back of his head. “Fuck, how to word it… Uh… Okay, so y’know how people are kind of the worst?”

“Not… really?”

“Great, well, they are. Especially people here unfortunately. God, Ash, why do _I_ have to tell the guy?”

“Just get on with it,” Eiji insisted, brows furrowed.

Obviously over the past week he’d noticed that this club in particular attracted a… certain clientele. He didn’t think anything less of people that went into stripclubs, but he had noticed that the people that came to Desiderata specifically were, well, _skeevy._ He’d noticed the “accidental” touches, the way Blanca and Cain had to look the other way when certain people came in, and though most of the people he saw were well dressed he couldn’t imagine they were all regular businessmen.

“People that come here are used to a certain… aesthetic when they walk in here. Like how even the girls that aren’t dancing are showing a lot of skin, y’know?”

What did that have to do with- ah.

“And you look like you’re going to bible study.”

“Harsh,” Ash chimed in, leaning back into the cushions with his arms crossed over his chest. “For what it’s worth, I meant what I said. It’s not worth your time.”

Eiji sighed, and set his elbow on his knee, dropping his chin into his palm. “At least it’s not because I’m ugly, I guess,” he grumbled, ignoring Shorter’s almost surprised laugh and the chucking of a lime from one of the abandoned drinks at his face in turn. He looked at Ash in time to see him winding up again, this time armed with a hunk of pineapple, when the door to the dressing room opened.

Ash let the pineapple drop from his hand, his shoulders notably sagging when Blanca walked in. “He’s here?” He asked, his voice low like a warning.

Blanca nodded, unbothered. Or maybe he just realized Ash’s anger wasn't really pointed at him. “Room one.”

Without a word Ash stood from the couch, and followed Blanca out of the room, leaving Shorter looking disappointed and Eiji just… confused. He knew the dancers regularly did private dances, so why did this seem so… so out of the ordinary?

“Who’s ‘he’?” Eiji finally asked, chancing a glance at Shorter.

“Owner of the place.”

He frowned, the crease between his furrowed brows deepening. “Yut Lung gets dances?”

“No. uh- Yue is just the manager. He takes care of everything here. The owner is a guy named Dino Golzine. Since you're just bartending you'll probably never see him.”

“And neither of you like him?”

Shorter looked down at his feet, quiet as he fiddled with his hands. Eiji waited for him to wave him off again, to crack a grin and say he was just joking with him again. But he didn’t. He continued to stare at the ground like if he did hard enough it would swallow him up.

“Y’know how I said people are the worst?” Eiji nodded. “Golzine is the worst of the worst.”

Anxiety weighing heavy over him, Eiji opened his mouth to ask another question when Shorter just shook his head and pushed himself to his feet.

“Break’s over. Thanks for hanging with me,” he said, lacking his usual energy now.

Eiji watched him walk out, but stayed where he was a moment longer. It felt like he’d watched a private moment he had no business in being a part of. Like there was some dirty secret everyone else knew but didn’t want to clue him in on. It left him with an uncomfortable, anxiety fueled curiosity, a need to know what was going on in room one. But maybe he wasn’t ready to know. Maybe that was why they wanted to leave him in the dark.

He shook his head as he got up from the couch, and stopped to look at himself in the mirror. After undoing the top few buttons on his button up he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, deciding that had to be good enough until he had a free day to get more club appropriate attire. After all, maybe he would stay here longer than he originally planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...we all know what's going on in room one. I'm sorry.  
> Fun story though: I posted this, finished work, then went home and went to bed and woke up to a message from an irl friend--who I didn't know was subscribed to me on here--that said:  
> "I know  
> that you did not  
> just write a fanfic for banana fish  
> and call it banana hammock"  
> So that was fun to explain.  
> Again I'm a slut for validation and attention, and comments give me life


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was the second time he’d been warned about the boss, and he didn’t think he wanted there to be a third. But just… being friends with Ash couldn’t really be putting him in danger… could it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my one accomplishment is posting this on Ash's birthday  
> there's only 20 minutes left of it but I DID IT  
> it doesn't matter I've had 99% of this written for the past 6 months  
> enjoy!

Thursday night left him with a surprising lack of orders. Contrary to most other bars, it seemed that Thursdays were the slow days at the club, and Eiji was admittedly thankful for it. He took his newfound free time to wipe down the bar, and clean the abandoned glasses. If he got all his side jobs done now he could leave early, and if he left early enough he could maybe fit a nap in before class.

The lack of orders also meant a lack of people sitting at the bar, which gave Eiji an easy view of the mainstage. He usually paid the dancers no mind when they were performing; it felt like a weird invasion of privacy to do so, especially now that he considered most of them friends and the others close acquaintances. Not that he thought any less of them for what they did, no he had learned early on in this job that he had nothing but respect for those that could do that every night for a living. He knew there was a great amount of skill that went into dancing, and even more so to do tricks on the pole. If anything, he was impressed.

And that’s why when he noticed Ash on stage he couldn’t look away. It wasn’t that he thought he was sexy, he was just absolutely awestruck. Ash pulled his body up the pole like it was nothing, spinning himself this way and that and at one point relying on just one leg wrapped around the pole to support his full weight as he flipped upside-down. And all the while moving to the beat of the song playing! It was… incredible. He couldn’t believe just how talented he was, when he was just such a sarcastic asshole almost every time he saw him.

When he finished his set Eiji couldn’t help but clap and holler--that is until he saw the weird looks he was getting. Really, was it so strange to applaud a performance?! Did people not applaud ballet? Of course they did. Because ballet took practice and skill and dedication, and since he wasn’t  _ blind _ , Eiji could see plain as day that so did pole dancing. 

Ash looked in his direction when he heard him clapping, an almost confused look on his face, before he turned to disappear down the catwalk, leaving his clothes and tips to be collected by one of the waitresses waiting on standby. Okay, so maybe it was strange.

Did… did he apologize? Was that weird?

Eiji frowned, and turned his attention back to his work, a deep crease set between his brows. Every time he interacted with Ash he seemed to get closer to the other man, only to bring things right back to square one with some stupid comment or any sense of familiarity. He just couldn’t wrap his mind around him, why was it so hard to figure out what he was thinking? He swore, Ash was the least transparent person he’d ever met.

“Enjoy the show?”

Speak of the devil. Eiji perked up, cheeks immediately flushed when he saw Ash leaning against the bar, an unreadable look on his face.

“Y-yeah,” he stuttered, setting the glass he was cleaning down so he didn’t risk dropping it. “Sorry, I didn’t realize it was strange to clap. I was just- you were really amazing up there.”

“Right.”

“How long did it take you to learn that? You look so slim, but you must be strong to be able to hold yourself up like that.”

Ash frowned, for once openly showing emotion as he crossed his arms on the counter, visibly confused. “Like what?”

“Like uh-” Eiji tried to use his hands the best he could to mimic the move he’d done on stage when he held himself up with just one leg, words failing him. “And you were upside down but it looked like you weren’t even breaking a sweat! You must be so strong, it was amazing!”

“Oh… that’s what you were watching. Not- not the dancing?”

He cocked his head, brows slightly furrowed. “Um, I mean I usually don’t watch you guys? I just- I saw you on the pole and I couldn’t look away. Sorry, uh, I won’t do that again.”

Ash leaned in close, openly scrutinizing him, before he shook his head. “Nah, forget I said anything, it’s not a big deal. Thanks though. Maybe I could teach you sometime?”

“Really?!”

“Yeah, you used to be an athlete, right? I’m sure you have the strength for it.”

“That would be amazing!” Eiji beamed, just then noticing he had also started to lean in across the counter. “Oh, I should- I should finish cleaning here. Take advantage of the lull.”

“Right,” Ash smiled, pushing himself away from the bar, “I’ll catch you later, Eiji.” 

He went back towards the dressing room, but Eiji had stopped paying attention. Nap be damned, he wanted to learn that trick!

The next two hours leading up to last call were even less busy than the beginning of his shift, so by the time the club was closed the bar was all clean and ready for the next shift. The waitresses were leisurely counting tips at the bar and talking amongst themselves when the dancers on staff that night approached. 

“I’ve said it once I’ll say it again, Yue should just close the club on Thursdays,” Alex said, dropping into one of the seats and immediately slumping back against the bar. “At least that way Ash would have  _ one  _ day off.”

Eiji frowned, and leaned forward on the counter, arms crossed on it to brace his weight. “Does… he not have days off?”

Alex shook his head as he yawned, and he absentmindedly scratched the back of his head. “Nah, he’s here every night,” he said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. As if that wasn’t terrible for his health.

Eiji’s frown only deepened when Ash approached, showing none of the fatigue a man that works every day should have. Instead he walked up casual as ever, and leaned over the counter to take a look at behind the bar.

“Damn, you actually did it. I mean, I know it was slow, but still, I’m impressed. You want a lesson now then?” He teased, giving him an honest to god smirk. “I mean, if you think you have what it takes.”

Now here was his issue. On one hand, Eiji didn’t want to keep him any later than completely necessary. No, he wanted to shove him out the front door himself, and tell him to go home and sleep all day. But on the other… he had been challenged. Ash had thrown down the gauntlet, and was openly underestimating his abilities and he absolutely wasn’t about to take that standing.

“Let’s go,” Eiji said, planting his hands flat on the counter to push himself up and over the bar.

Could he have just walked around? Absolutely. Was the surprised look on Ash’s face worth it? Now that was just a stupid question.

Shorter joined the others then, openly confused as Ash and Eiji walked right past him. “Okay, what did I miss? Are those two gonna fight? Street race? Make out? I just need to know what to prepare for.”

“I think Ash is going to teach him how to do something on the pole?” Alex offered, their voices fading away as Eiji hoisted himself onto the stage.

“You’re either gonna want to push your pant legs up, you’ll need some exposed skin to grip the pole,” Ash said, bending over to pull the edges of his joggers up over his knees.

Eiji looked down at his clothes, and set his hands on his hips. Okay. So. Maybe he  _ did  _ dress like a youth group leader. But he was committed now. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, then bent over at the waist to pull the end of his khakis up as high as they would go. It… was not very high. 

 “You sure you want to do this tonight?”

He stared down at himself and pursed his lips, then nodded. “I’ll just have to squeeze the pole with my thighs more, right?”

Ash looked him up and down, obviously not convinced, and crossed his arms over his chest. “If you’re okay with it, I think I have some spare shorts in my locker. But just sayin’, you’re gathering a crowd.”

Eiji looked behind him, and saw their coworkers had moved from the bar closer to the stage, some grinning in anticipation and others looking more intrigued than anything. While he had never been one that got nervous before meets, he couldn’t deny the stagefright building in his gut. This was already so new to him, and now he had to try to impress not only Ash but all of their colleagues. 

“C’mon, Eiji! Show him up!” Shorter yelled. When Ash held his arms out as if to say “really?” he just shrugged. “I want to see him succeed. And kinda want to see if he’s really as athletic as he insists he is.”

Backhanded support. That was enough to fuel him. Eiji hopped down off the stage, and stormed off to the locker room, a fire lit within. With everyone waiting in the lounge the locker room was empty, so he wasted no time in changing out of his khakis and fishing the tight fitting shorts from Ash’s locker. He was sure they fit Ash just fine, but they squeezed his hips and more muscular thighs in an embarrassing way. It was almost enough for him to call it off, but the thought of causing a scene for nothing made him want to die more than the ill-fitting clothing did. He took a tank-top sitting in the locker after a second thought, and changed into that as well.

When he walked back out he did to an array of wolf whistles and catcalls, and just like that the tank was a mistake. His cheeks flushed bright red, and he felt the warmth from it spread down his neck to his chest and shoulders. He hurried his pace, and climbed onto the stage a little clumsier than the first time.

Ash helped him up the rest of the way, his face flushed for reasons completely unknown to Eiji. Were the lights that hot?

“Okay, so uh- have you ever done any pole fitness?” Ash asked, walking over to it, and seemingly pointedly not looking at him.

“Unless you count vaulting, no.”

“I do not,” he said, a smile creeping onto his face. “Show me you can climb it and hold yourself up.”

Eiji stared up at it a moment, quickly going over every way this could all go wrong in his mind, before reaching up to grab onto the pole. He pulled himself up with relative ease, and shimmied himself up it a couple feet before he wrapped his legs around it, squeezing it with his thighs. There was a surprising burn in his muscles and an uncomfortable pull on his skin as he held himself up, but he managed. 

“Okay, now use your arm muscles to hold yourself up, and wrap one leg around the pole.”

He frowned, his brows furrowed together, and looked down at Ash. 

“Like how I held myself up earlier.”

“That seems… advanced.”

Ash stepped up behind him, and held his arms out, showing Eiji that he was ready to catch him if he had to. “C’mon, you can do it. And if you can’t, I got you.”

Eiji swallowed thickly, and glanced down at him a moment before shifting his grip. He tightened the grip in his hands, and brought one leg up towards his chest to wrap around the pole, squeezing it between his calf and the back of his thigh.

“When you’re sure you have a good grip on it, start leaning back, then let go and reach your arms out over your head and point your free leg out.”

He made it sound so easy, but Eiji could feel his leg muscles absolutely  _ burning.  _ Still, he could feel everyone’s gazes on him, and he refused to let them down. He did as Ash instructed, almost painfully slowly, but he did it. Eiji turned his gaze from the ceiling, and tilted his head back to look at Ash, a bright smile on his face. Ash matched his smile, and even his eyes seemed brighter.

Their coworkers were hooting and hollering, and Eiji found himself laughing. But with it he felt his grip failing, and he quickly lurched forward to regain his grip on the pole with his hands. He dropped his legs down as ungracefully as he thought was physically possible, his feet slamming down onto the floor of the stage with a notable thud. In his haste he didn’t even notice Ash’s grip on his waist until he started to turn to face him.

Ash loosened his grip but didn’t move his hands from his sides, seemingly unsure of himself when Eiji met his gaze. 

“S-sorry, uh, you okay?” 

Eiji simply nodded, positive that if he tried to say anything it would come out as bumbling mess, because Ash was still holding onto him. Because Ash was concerned for him. Because now he was openly showing his emotions, and he was just as embarrassed as Eiji was.

Because maybe this stupid little crush he had on Ash wasn’t as stupid as he originally thought.

“Either makeout or stop being weird!” Shorter yelled, reminding the both of them that they still had an audience.

Ash stepped back, and shoved his hands in his pockets before hopping down off the stage. Eiji followed suit but kept his head down, expecting strange or disapproving looks, but was greeted with applause.

“That was impressive, Okumura! Didn’t think you had it in you!”

“Maybe if I need a night off, I should just get you to cover for me.”

Eiji tried to laugh it off, but he accepted the praise a little sheepishly. He hopped down onto the floor, and headed back into the locker room to get dressed, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Ash standing at his locker. He shouldn’t have been surprised--he wasn’t, but for some reason he was… taken aback. He assumed Ash was going to leave immediately after that embarrassing moment, and he knew he would have had the time to had he chosen. 

Eiji cleared his throat as he stepped up to his own locker, and put on a smile when the other man looked at him. “Ah, if you want I can take these home and wash them before giving them back to you.”

Ash openly looked him up and down then shrugged, before pulling on his jacket. “Keep them. You looked like you were having fun out there, might be nice to keep trying out some moves after hours.”

“I was. Thank you.”

Ash smiled, and in that short moment between them he looked… soft.

 

The taxi ride home was quiet, peaceful, and Eiji felt like he was floating. It felt like he had made real progress in his relationship with Ash, and the other man seemed truly comfortable in his presence now. It was infinitely better than the awkward glances, the short conversations, and if things kept up the way they were he might be able to build a real friendship between them.

His phone buzzing in his pocket snapped him out of his fantasy, and Eiji pulled it out of his pocket, looking at the screen curiously when he didn’t recognize the number.

**_Unknown Number:_ **

_ I would stay away from Ash if I were you. _

**_Eiji Okumura:_ **

_ Sorry, who is this? _

**_Unknown Number:_ **

_ Doesn’t matter.  _

**_Unknown Number:_ **

_ Don’t take my warning lightly. You don’t want to get mixed up with him. The last thing you want is the boss getting involved. _

**_Eiji Okumura:_ **

_ How did you get my number? _

He received no response on his ride home. He looked all around when he stepped out of the taxi, making sure he wasn’t being watched before taking the steps up to his apartment two at a time. Though he saw no one he still felt eyes on him. Once he was past the door he locked it behind him, and closed all the curtains. This was the second time he’d been warned about the boss, and he didn’t think he wanted there to be a third. But just… being friends with Ash couldn’t  _ really  _ be putting him in danger… could it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have too many ideas to hurt them so why not start that immediately right? ;)  
> if anyone wants to follow my twitter and harass me to update I'm @thatspacegay on there *double finger guns*  
> as always I'm a slut for validation and attention, and comments give me life

**Author's Note:**

> Not shown: Shorter's immediate "I will protect this soft boy with my life"  
> Let me know what you think, I thrive on validation and attention


End file.
